Some used cars are in the sweet spot of auto deals.
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2008 Lincoln MKZ
A late-model used car can be one of the best values you'll find when buying a car. With relatively low mileage, modern safety and convenience features, and usually a much lower price than similar new vehicles, these used cars are in the sweet spot of auto deals.
We've scoured through the used car options and put together this list of best deals on 2004-2008 vehicles in 10 categories. Each of the vehicles featured are models recommended by Consumer Reports. In making these selections, we focused on models that show the greatest depreciation from their original retail price and their current value, then culled the list to just those vehicles that meet our stringent criteria to be recommended, including good performance in our tests, average or above safety scores, and average or better reliability. For some car types, this may mean limited diversity in the recommendations, though in all cases, we have focused on balancing the quality of the deal and that of the vehicle.
See all current deals on recommended used vehicles. Continue your research by comparing ratings, reliability, reviews, fuel economy, performance, and much more (available to subscribers). For a list of the most reliable used cars covering ten model years, see our best and worst used cars report.
To get detailed pricing on a used car or for vehicle comparisons, subscribe to our Cars Best Deals Plus and used car price reports.
| Vehicle | Mileage | MSRP | Buying From Dealer Price | Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP (%) |
| Small Cars/Wagons | ||||
| 2004 Honda Civic Si Hbk Man FWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 66,000 | $19,070 | $7,825 | 59% |
| 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS Wgn Auto AWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 51,000 | 19,045 | 9,550 | 50 |
| 2006 Toyota Prius Hbk Auto FWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 40,000 | 21,725 | 14,025 | 35 |
| 2007 MAZDASPEED3 Hbk Man FWD 4 Cyl Turbo 4doors | 33,000 | 22,340 | 15,450 | 31 |
| 2008 Toyota Corolla LE Sdn Auto FWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 20,000 | 16,415 | 13,400 | 18 |
| SUVs | ||||
| 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe Base Utility Auto FWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 66,000 | $18,799 | $6,200 | 67% |
| 2005 Acura MDX Base SUV Auto 4WD 6 Cyl 4doors | 51,000 | 36,900 | 17,175 | 53 |
| 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Base Utility Auto AWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 40,000 | 32,395 | 15,825 | 51 |
| 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander LS Utility Auto RWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 33,000 | 22,410 | 13,000 | 42 |
| 2008 Subaru Forester X Utility Auto AWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 20,000 | 21,995 | 15,225 | 31 |
| Family Cars/Large Cars | ||||
| 2004 Toyota Avalon XLS Sdn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 66,000 | $30,605 | $10,625 | 65% |
| 2005 Honda Accord VP Sdn Auto FWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 51,000 | 17,995 | 8,275 | 54 |
| 2006 Nissan Altima SL Sdn 2.5 Auto FWD 4 Cyl 4doors | 40,000 | 23,950 | 12,775 | 47 |
| 2007 Mercury Milan Premier Sdn Auto AWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 33,000 | 25,225 | 14,075 | 44 |
| 2008 Ford Fusion SE Sdn Auto AWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 20,000 | 23,660 | 14,650 | 38 |
| Vehicle | Mileage | MSRP | BuyingFrom Dealer Price | Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP (%) |
| Luxury/Upscale Cars | ||||
| 2004 Acura 3.5 RL Sdn w/Nav Auto FWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 66,000 | $45,600 | $11,875 | 74% |
| 2005 Lexus LS 430 Sdn Auto RWD 8 Cyl 4doors | 51,000 | 56,225 | 24,025 | 57 |
| 2006 Volvo S60 T5 SE Sdn Auto FWD 5 Cyl Turbo light pressure 4doors | 40,000 | 37,615 | 17,950 | 52 |
| 2007 Infiniti M45 Base Sdn Auto RWD 8 Cyl 4doors | 33,000 | 49,100 | 30,075 | 39 |
| 2008 Lincoln MKZ Sdn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 20,000 | 30,980 | 22,275 | 28 |
| Minivans | ||||
| 2004 Honda Odyssey LX Wgn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 66,000 | $24,490 | $8,875 | 64% |
| 2005 Toyota Sienna CE Wgn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 5doors | 51,000 | 23,425 | 11,500 | 51 |
| 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L Wgn w/RES and Nav Auto FWD 6 Cyl 4doors | 40,000 | 34,595 | 19,475 | 44 |
| 2007 Toyota Sienna LE Wgn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 5doors | 33,000 | 25,830 | 16,375 | 37 |
| 2008 Toyota Sienna CE Wgn Auto FWD 6 Cyl 5doors | 20,000 | 24,490 | 17,925 | 27 |
| Vehicle | Mileage | MSRP | BuyingFrom Dealer Price | Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP (%) |
| Pickup Trucks | ||||
| 2004 Toyota Tundra SR5 Access Cab Auto 4WD 6 Cyl 2doors | 66,000 | $25,395 | $11,775 | 54% |
| 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cab Auto RWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 51,000 | 22,100 | 10,850 | 51 |
| 2006 Honda Ridgeline RTS Crew Cab Auto 4WD 6 Cyl 4doors | 40,000 | 30,075 | 16,975 | 44 |
| 2007 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cab Auto RWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 33,000 | 22,600 | 13,900 | 38 |
| 2008 Toyota Tundra Base Cab Auto RWD 8 Cyl 2doors | 20,000 | 24,480 | 17,375 | 29 |
| Sports/Sporty Cars | ||||
| 2004 Ford Mustang Base Convt Auto RWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 66,000 | $23,885 | $8,825 | 63% |
| 2005 Nissan 350Z Enthusiast Cpe Auto RWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 51,000 | 29,750 | 12,100 | 59 |
| 2006 BMW Z4 M Cpe Man RWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 40,000 | 49,300 | 26,300 | 47 |
| 2007 Honda S2000 Convt Man RWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 33,000 | 34,250 | 21,250 | 38 |
| 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convt Auto RWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 20,000 | 23,840 | 16,700 | 30 |
| Vehicle | Mileage | MSRP | BuyingFrom Dealer Price | Drop In Retail Value vs. MSRP (%) |
| Convertibles | ||||
| 2004 Lexus SC 430 Hdtp Convt Auto RWD 8 Cyl 2doors | 66,000 | $62,875 | $22,800 | 64% |
| 2005 Lexus SC 430 Hdtp Convt Auto RWD 8 Cyl 2doors | 51,000 | 63,575 | 27,400 | 57 |
| 2006 Lexus SC 430 Hdtp Convt Auto RWD 8 Cyl 2doors | 40,000 | 65,355 | 32,050 | 51 |
| Coupes | ||||
| 2004 Toyota Camry Solara SE Convt Auto FWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 66,000 | $25,950 | $9,675 | 63% |
| 2005 Scion tC Release Series 1.0 Hbk Auto FWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 51,000 | 18,575 | 10,350 | 44 |
| 2006 Scion tC Release Series 2.0 Hbk Auto FWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 40,000 | 19,060 | 11,900 | 38 |
| 2007 Toyota Camry Solara SE Cpe Auto FWD 6 Cyl 2doors | 33,000 | 26,905 | 15,875 | 41 |
| 2008 Scion tC Base Hbk Auto FWD 4 Cyl 2doors | 20,000 | 17,800 | 14,500 | 19 |
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